Traces of the Trade: A Story From the Deep North 2008
Distributed by California Newsreel, Order Dept., PO Box 2284, South Burlington, VT 05407; 877-811-7495 (toll free)
Produced by Katrina Browne
Directed by Katrina Browne
DVD, color, 86 min.
Sr. High - Adult
African American Studies, American Studies, History
Date Entered: 10/05/2010
Reviewed by Janice Wilson, J. Eugene Smith Library, Eastern Connecticut State UniversityBristol, Rhode Island is widely known as the home of the country’s oldest 4th of July parade, with 2010 as its 225th consecutive year. Far less well known is the fact that the DeWolf family of Bristol was the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history, carrying on the trade for three generations. The family had strong ties to the Episcopal Church and was prominent and respected within the community. Katrina Browne, a DeWolf descendant, became aware of this past through research conducted by her grandmother and decided to retrace the slave trade route and travel from Bristol to Ghana to Cuba and return. This film tells the story of the pilgrimage of ten DeWolf descendants as they visit Cape Coast, Ghana and the ruins of their ancestors’ Cuban plantations.
The story is very effectively told through use of family photos, movies, historical papers and maps. While we vilify the South for their part in slavery, very few know the part played by the North in the slave trade. This is an honest look at the role played by one family in that piece of our history.
Awards
- Nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement In A Craft: Research